Emergency vehicles used to fight fires or otherwise provide water at an emergency scene may obtain water from a pond or other freestanding water supply by providing a suction hose, also referred to as a suction line, from the emergency vehicle into the freestanding water supply to draw water from that supply into the emergency vehicle. Once the water is drawn into the emergency vehicle, it is pumped from the vehicle through smaller diameter fire hose at an increased pressure for distribution. The suction hose used for free standing water supplies has a relatively large diameter, which may be greater than six inches. A coupling is provided at one end of the hose to attach the hose to the emergency vehicle. Existing couplings include a shank portion typically made of metal having an internal thread that mates with the threads on the emergency vehicle. The shank portion includes a shank that extends within the suction hose. In some existing designs, the hose is clamped against the shank by a clamp. Two or three piece hose clamps are known in the art, where fasteners join the pieces together and provide the clamping force to hold the hose against the shank.
In one prior art device, the hose clamp includes two semicircular clamp pieces. The interior of the clamp pieces also includes a gripping member designed to engage ribs or other surfaces of the suction hose to better secure the hose relative to the shank portion, To complete attachment of the coupling, each hose clamp piece includes fastening bosses at each end of the clamp piece that abut corresponding fastening bosses on the opposite clamp piece when the pieces are tit on either side of the hose. A pair of fasteners are threaded through eyes formed in each of the fastener bosses and secured by a nut that compresses the two hose clamp pieces against each other. Plastic clamps may require additional length to provide sufficient clamping force, For example in one existing design a four inch collar is used to provide the needed clamping force, in another design, the clamp pieces include a groove that fits over a lip formed on the shank to help restrict axial movement of the collar relative to the shank once the pieces are clamped together.
Attachment of the coupling using the two piece clamp is difficult in that the user has to manipulate the end of the a large diameter hose, position the clamp pieces, and secure two fasteners on either end of the clamp pieces. Typically, the suction hose and coupling are sold as a unit. When assembling the hose and coupling, often one side of the clamp is properly secured and the other is not resulting in an improper securement of the hose. If detected at the manufacturing facility, the hose and clamp may be reassembled before shipment, If the hose and coupling are shipped in this condition, however, it may require reassembly in the field. To avoid lost time in assembling the hose and coupler at the manufacturing facility or in the field, a simpler coupling for a suction line is needed.